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Cat living in tree

post #1 of 10
1/26/11 at 4:53am
Thread Starter 
I'm interested in TCS opinions on this story. Why didn't he just bring the cat down when he first found Almond there as a kitten? In the video he sometimes calls Almond he and sometimes she so it's not clear what gender the cat is.

Is he going to get Almond altered? Where does Almond toilet? What if Almond gets sick?

He's not exactly young himself. What will happen if something happens to him and he can't take care of Almond any more?

http://www.tonic.com/article/cat-tha...ome-and-owner/
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post #2 of 10
1/26/11 at 8:14am
I imagine by now the cat just goes off the side.

The cat's squinting expression and the pictures not being really good close up's make it a bit difficult to tell the gender. The small nose looks almost feminine, but without a clear view of the upper nose width and unsquinted eyes (to see the browline better) I can't be certain.
But very likely that cat will eventually get chased down by another cat.

He obviously does care about the cat. Did you see the food dishes? Dry food, wet food, and scraps. And the hide/nest he built for it does look fairly nice. It would have been tricky to build while standing on a ladder. Hopefully someone watching the show, or clip, will help him get the cat down and inside. His heart is in the right place but sometimes people need a bit of help.
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post #3 of 10
1/26/11 at 11:36pm
I don't understand fully... can the cat go up and down? If the cat can come and go as it pleases, and just likes the safety of the tree for its home base (beats the dangers and unpleasantness of cold wet snow I'm sure), that sounds fine to me.

I don't believe in feeding cats that aren't fixed though, so would trap it, bring it to a low cost clinic, have the ear clipped, get it vaccinated, and when feeling well bring it back to its preferred and improved spot with nomnoms.
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post #4 of 10
1/27/11 at 4:51am
Thread Starter 
He said the cat has "never been out of the tree". He feeds the cat human food, such at meat loaf and salami.

Now that that story is out I hope someone with a good heart decides to do something about it and rescue that cat. Wisconsin winters are long and cold, and the cat is not eating a balanced diet and is not de-sexed.

I am very surprised that free-kibble found this to be an inspirational story.
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post #5 of 10
1/27/11 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
He feeds the cat human food, such at meat loaf and salami.

…and the cat is not eating a balanced diet and is not diet
Did you watch the video? There is wet and dry cat food in that tree. Kitty is free fed dry. (The constant supply of food will eventually attract other cats, though)

As for the human food, many members of this forum share their food with their cats. I don't agree with a lot of the things they share (smoked/seasoned meats, dairy,yogurt with added flavoring and sugar, etc) but so be it. What you see in the article is partially that, and that many older folks share even more of their foods with their pets -thats how they grew up when there were less commercial options for pet food. Second, the easiet way to get a cat to come out of hiding is to bribe it with food it can't resist. It wouldn't have made a good story if all they saw was a tree trunk.

I'll repeat it: media is not the truth. Its a story being sold to you the viewer.


The guy isn't abusing this cat. It has more than some tended ferals have. But he could use some understnading and help to get the cat down - even the sweetest cat is difficult to remove from a tree. If one doesn't end up bitten (and this cat biting someone would be bad) they're lucky as a truly frightened cat rarely holds back.
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post #6 of 10
1/27/11 at 10:28am
Thread Starter 
Yes, I watched the video. The guy clearly has no intention nor desire to remove the cat from the tree. According to the story and the video, the cat has been there since it was a baby kitten, at which time it certainly could have been removed.

In my opinion a tree is not a healthy nor safe place for a cat to live. This cat has never even been vaccinated. Raccoons can climb trees, and raccoons carry rabies.

I stand by my opinion that this cat needs rescuing. And now that the story has been plastered about via paw nation and freekibble, s/he probably will be.
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post #7 of 10
1/27/11 at 10:28am
That's got to be one of the weirdest stories I've read. I'm not sure what to think. However, if the guy is gonna feed the cat, he should be feeding it proper food - salami and fish is NOT the best. What happens if the cat blocks from UTI?

IMO I'd put thick gloves on, wrap the cat in a towel and bring him down to be taken care of properly.
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post #8 of 10
1/27/11 at 10:35am
Don't misunderstand - a cat shouldn't be left in a tree like that. I'm just not for vilify the guy as an animal abuser. He's merely misguided.
Most people wouldn't make any effort to provide food or shelter at all, most would walk right by and not consider it their problem. If more people cared there wouldn't be so many stray and feral animals.
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post #9 of 10
1/27/11 at 10:41am
Thread Starter 
Be fair now, I did not vilify this person in any way. I simply stated my opinion which is that I think it is not a good thing and the cat needs rescuing.
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post #10 of 10
1/27/11 at 10:57am
IF the cat (and I mean IF) really hasn't left the tree, there must be a reason. Perhaps he is in pain, preventing him from jumping. I think the guy is doing what he knows to be helpful, but I pray that someone will get him the help he really needs.
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